Thursday Thirteen 201: Random

A completely random T13 this week...


1. With all the rain we've had the past month, you wouldn't think a marsh would be dry enough to burn, yet there was such a fire here Tuesday afternoon, shutting down the Beltline Highway during rush hour. Thankfully, only about 100 acres burned and no buildings. Suspected cause: a cigarette tossed out a passing car window.

2. Seen on a recent walk in the Arboretum: two deer, two sandhill cranes, and one wild turkey.

3. I hope the turkey, which was wandering along the outside of the fence as though trying to figure out how to get back in, is the one my coworker hit a few days before. Hey, it wasn't our fault! Stupid bird was playing chicken during rush hour traffic, darting out between two cars.

4. Speaking of stupid birds, the annual goose debate has begun. Local parks are run a-foul of the fowl. Many parks and beaches were closed for weeks last summer due to e. coli outbreaks, plus there is the fear of them hitting aircraft. The problem is how to humanely thin the population. DNR experts say a good start is to stop feeding them bread crumbs.

5. Proving our kids are smarter than the local wildlife, a report out this week ranks Wisconsin as number one in high school graduation rates for a second year in a row, with a rate of 90.7 percent.

6. Of course, this ranking may soon change, as Governor Walker's current budget reduces funding of public education by more than $900 million. Which means fewer teachers and deep cuts in school programs.

7. Protests and rallies against Walker continue at the Capitol in Madison, the longest sustained labor movement in US history. There is another large labor rally scheduled for this Saturday afternoon, directly following the weekly Farmer's Market.

8. Okay, so maybe not all birds are stupid: Bronx Zoo Peacock Now on the Run.


9. Proof that mothers can mess with you from beyond the grave: Sunday afternoon I pulled out an old B&W movie taped off TCM two years ago, only to find that someone's mother had recorded over a clearly marked tape sometime before she passed. The movie in question? I Remember Mama.

10. I did watch two other movies over the weekend: Munster Go Home and Unforgiven.

12. This weekend is the Norwegian celebration of Syttende Mai. To learn more about it, you can read this Thursday Thirteen post I wrote in 2008.

13. A quote from my page-a-day desk calendar for this week:
One of the secrets to a happy life is continuous small treats.
~ Iris Murdoch

Those treats can be anything: a bar of chocolate, a new DVD or CD, or—best of all—a book.







LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Maddy Barone * Janice Seagraves * Alice Audrey
Shelley Munro * Kimberly Menozzi * Xakara
Darla M. Sands * Adelle Laudan * Paige Tyler
Suzanna Medeiros * Harriet * Forgetfulone